Packers jump back into first place

Posted by Mike Florio on December 2, 2012, 4:47 PM EST

Getty Images

With the Green Bay Packers trailing the Bears by one game, thanks to that bad call in Seattle way back in Week Three, and reeling from a blowout loss last Sunday to the Giants, the Pack jumped back into first place, thanks to a win over the Vikings coupled with an overtime loss by the Bears.

The Packers took down Minnesota, 23-14, erasing a four-point deficit and overcoming a 210-yard rushing performance from Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

Fueling the Green Bay win was a subpar performance from Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, who completed 12 of 25 passes for 119 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions that killed second-half scoring drives.

A sustained fourth-quarter field goal drive ensured that the Vikings wouldn’t be running Peterson down the stretch, since the Packers went up two scores without much time left.

On his 29th birthday, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 27 of 35 passes for 286 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

The vikings are absolutely infuriating. They are wasting the best years of a.p.’s and harvin’s careers. I cannot support a team with a qb as bad as ponder(qb rating of @ 32.7). He’s gotta go! He’s in over his head.The wr’s of simspon, Jenkins, devon and TE of Carlson are a joke. I am gonna put all my shirts and jerseys away indefinitely. Here’s the rundown…Ponder ignores a wide open wright, ponder drops a snap, across the body idiotic int pass, he under threw a.p., threw too high for Gerhardt, threw another int to burnett, bad arm strength going somewhat deep to wr’s, short hops a pass to burton(also known as a mcnabb wormball-ha). Other boobs where griffin’s penalty on allen’s great int catch and run, walsh’s missed fg, allowing crabtree to be wide open for a 1st down. It’s just like the led zep song lyrics…”best years of my life go by, here I am alone and blue”. I’m done I can’t stand this play anymore! I’m done.

otis52gsh says:Dec 2, 2012 4:57 PM

Not sure what people expected from ponder? He was taken way to high in the draft, and has proven that almost from the get go. As far as the packers not winning/ ponder losing it for them, that’s a really lame excuse losers use. No my Bears are tied with the packers record wise and when my bears beat them we will win the division. Viks and lions on the bottom where they are comfortable.

Carl Gerbschmidt says:Dec 2, 2012 4:59 PM

Great win over a desperate club, Happy Birthday to the greatest QB in the Universe, and Seattle got a legit win to put us back in FIRST

deltaoracle says:Dec 2, 2012 5:00 PM

Adrian Peterson is a once in a generation talent and I feel for him that he may never get back into the playoffs.
Ponder really does throw some ballonns, doesn’t he? Of course he doesn’t exactly have a great receiving corps to help him.
Have to like Don Barclay. Undrafted kid comes in off the bench and doesn’t blink an eye. Played pretty well.
Fear the Thundering Pack! If the Packers can continue to run with modest effectiveness like this, it may allow Rodgers to see something besides Cover 2 all game long.

bfrsd says:Dec 2, 2012 5:04 PM

“Packers did not win this game. Ponder lost it for the Vikings single-handedly. Had it not been for Ponder’s ineptitude, Vikings win this game by double-digits.”

You do realize the QB is the most important position in sports? Rodgers is in the top 3 and Ponder is in the bottom 3. That doesn’t mean you should’ve won the game. So your running game is better and the Packers passing game is better. Hence the final score. Your argument makes no sense.

And you seem to forget the phantom holding penalty that took away James Jones second touchdown. It would’ve been 14-0 Packers.

Sorry Viking fans, complaining about having a bad QB isn’t going to create a lot of sympathy. MN was playing against a team that was playing with about a dozen rookies and 2nd year players. The Packer O-line was playing with 3 guys that are backups or are out of position. GB wished it had a decent running game too or a good pass rusher who isn’t hurt.

Why blame just ponder? How about the defense that allowed an 11 minute drive that made it two scores to win. Force a punt early and AP still has time to win it despite ponder. How about give credit where it’s due. The packers won with their third string RT and back up LG and ran like they haven’t all season.

Packer fan here. My takes from today’s game are as follows. AP is the best player in the NFL considering his ability to come back from such a serious injury so quickly and due to the fact that there is no element of surprise on their offense due to the absolute ineptitude of Ponder. He still goes over 100 every game, he is a once in a lifetime talent with a once in a lifetime work ethic. Packers got really lucky on a very lame roughing the passer call that wiped out an INT that would have put the Vikings in the red zone, but due to the fact that Ponder threw 2 other Red Zone INT’s, I’m not so sure they would’ve come away with more than a FG there. Vikings physically outplayed the Packers today, however they mentally beat themselves and that resulted in a W for the Pack in the standings. Starks ran with a fire today. The kicking situation is a mess. The OL is a mess. Matthews and Woodson will be welcomed back with open arms. Considering what the Bears and 49ers did today, this was a great day for the Packers. Their favorable schedule from here on out makes the #2 seed highly attainable. Go Pack!

lambeauwest says:Dec 2, 2012 5:08 PM

In addition, MN needs to blame it’s general manager for bringing back a hobbled Brett Favre, a past his prime Donovan McNabb and then reaching in the draft with Ponder. I still remember Trent Dilfer laughing how the Vikings burned a 1st round pick on 4th round talent with Ponder. MN burned a pick bringing back Randy Moss for half a season too.

pack13queens0 says:Dec 2, 2012 5:09 PM

And in First to stay. This makes it easier to cheer for the Bears next Sunday, although I would anyway.

seahawksbmx says:Dec 2, 2012 5:09 PM

Seahawks just did the Pack a solid. Bygones?

stellarperformance says:Dec 2, 2012 5:10 PM

The Vikings did not “beat themselves.” A very young and getting better everyday defense beat the Vikings.

And Adrian Peterson reminds me more and more of Barry Sanders…..and it has nothing to do with his yardage today (if you know what I mean.)

The Prophet says:Dec 2, 2012 5:13 PM

Once again regular refs favor the Pack with that BS roughing the passer call that nullified that INT.

Horrible, it has become torture to watch Ponder play and coupled with the inept play calling of the village idiot Offensive coordinator Musgrave. Ponder isn’t the quarterback now or in the future. He doesn’t posses the physical tools or the mental aptitude to become a NFL caliber starter. He treats the pocket like the ground is on fire and runs out of it at the first sign of duress, locks in on the receiver from the time the ball is snapped, has bad technique in his foot work and doesn’t have the arm strength to throw downfield. For you Ponder apologist, name one pass he can throw with accuracy outside of the horizontal pass at the line of scrimmage? This guy is a failed experiment. Put in Webb now and sign a journeyman QB like Hill(Detroit) or Moore(Miami) to compete nest year with the QBs Webb and Bethel-Thompson and fire that bumbling bufoon Musgrave Frazier, or your out on your arce too.

Packers will get a false sense of hope for their pass defense from this game. Ponder is the reason they won this game, and their defense gave up a huge amount of rushing yards. I wouldn’t be getting your Super Bowl tickets just yet.

Also, why does jermichael finely feel the need to celebrate and march down the field after every catch he makes? Is it because he is relieved he caught the pass? Every catch is like this monumental event to him.

Let’s say Green Bay actually won that Seattle game; can you, or anyone, guarantee that EVERY game since would have played out in EXACTLY the same fashion? If you can, you have a good argument. Since you can’t, your argument is pure speculation and shall be stricken from the records. Who knows, if Seattle lost that game, maybe they get pissed and go on a 10 game winning streak. Maybe the packers are not as focused and lose a few.

virginiaviking says:Dec 2, 2012 5:25 PM

Alfred Morris could not even wear peterson’s jock!!! Peterson is the best now and will be the best ever!!! Ponder needs to shoot himself in the leg like plaxico and Webb needs to qb the rest of this year till we draft Barkley. Ponder sucks ass

deltaoracle says:Dec 2, 2012 5:28 PM

Peterson is a once in a generation talent. Awesome.
Ponder throws balloons, but he also has no WRs.
Have to like Barclay. Undrafted kid comes in to play OT, doesn’t bat an eye, battles well.
If Pack can continue to run halfway decently like today, Rodgers may finally get to see something besides Cover2. And that would be good.

bfrsd says:Dec 2, 2012 5:28 PM

The refs were helping the Packers? Are you guys serious?

In the first quarter the Packers had four obvious calls go against them. One of them took James Jones touchdown off the board. I guess Cobb getting his helmet almost ripped off in front of the ref was a good no call too. Gimme a break.

The Packers had like 7 holding calls in the game and three of them were as ticky tacky as could possibly be. Peterson’s big run to start the second half was predicated on a hold. Go look at the tape.

thetokyosandblaster says:Dec 2, 2012 5:30 PM

Viking babies sure do cry. And for a fan base that consistently berates the packers for saying (one time, by one guy) that they beat themselves, you seem to be saying that quite a bit.

How about this? If the refs hadn’t helped the Vikings, the packers win by 20.

Concerned about Rogers. He is not the qb of the past two years. I think it the O coodinator calling all those 30 yard pass plays that have killed him.
He was and is great on slant plays and they stopped calling them all but once in this game and it worked for an important first down.
He is shell shocked from all the hits. Two yards for a first down, no one in front of him and he passes into double coverage. WHat the hell is that. That is called narrow focus. That is mental block. He is not thinking

What it it with the injuries? I have a theory that they have so much dead wood that people are trying to make up for it and getting hurt.
The Pack under TT have more undrafted players on the field than any other team. They were undrafted for a good reason.

zn0rseman says:Dec 2, 2012 5:34 PM

No mention of the HORRIBLE game-changing roughing the passer call that negated a Jared Allen interception in Packers territory, negating a score for the Vikings?

Seriously, the NFL is like watching Hulk Hogan versus Andre The Giant these days.

matckeeper says:Dec 2, 2012 5:34 PM

Well, a wins a win.
I guess it is nice to get a win with so many injuries before and during the game. However, the D is too much of a bend but don’t break kind of D, and the O is just struggling.
Hopefully they get hot about the same time at 2 years ago and pull a nice playoff run….we shall see

“Packers did not win this game. Ponder lost it for the Vikings single-handedly. Had it not been for Ponder’s ineptitude, Vikings win this game by double-digits.”

You do realize the QB is the most important position in sports? Rodgers is in the top 3 and Ponder is in the bottom 3. That doesn’t mean you should’ve won the game. So your running game is better and the Packers passing game is better. Hence the final score. Your argument makes no sense.

And you seem to forget the phantom holding penalty that took away James Jones second touchdown. It would’ve been 14-0 Packers.

—

When a RB runs for over 200 yards, teams are something like 52-3. That wasn’t a phantom holding penalty- he grabbed him by the shoulder pad- you could see it easily in the replay. Additionally, the Vikings lost a INT by Allen with a totally bogus roughing QB penalty. But Ponder throwing 2 bad INTs, other missed opportunities with wide-open receivers, and other blown plays and near INTs as well.

Packer fans may feel like they bounced back in this game, but this performance by the Packers and a 70 QBR rating for Ponder would have been a double-digit win for the Vikings.

jimmysee says:Dec 2, 2012 5:36 PM

Seems like at half-time the Packers decided if they were to get beat, it would not he AP who did it.

They seemed to adjust — still gave up some big plays — he’s a great player — but the Packers generally contained him and dared the Vikes to beat them another way.

Ponder was not up to it.

thetokyosandblaster says:Dec 2, 2012 5:38 PM

The fact is, missing 7 key players, the Packers are still 9 points better than Minnesota.

Green Bay will always get breaks from the officials anytime they play a small market franchise. When they play someone like the NY Giants, they won’t get all those calls. The Packers aren’t good enough to make it to the SB with their apparent lack of a running game and a horrid defense. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.

larryboodry says:Dec 2, 2012 5:39 PM

Assuming GB and Chicago win next week, that Dec. 16 rematch at Soldier Field looms pretty big…Bears gotta play better – a lot better – than they did today to stand a chance.

bfrsd says:Dec 2, 2012 5:48 PM

“Green Bay will always get breaks from the officials anytime they play a small market franchise. When they play someone like the NY Giants, they won’t get all those calls. The Packers aren’t good enough to make it to the SB with their apparent lack of a running game and a horrid defense. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.”

What is it with the ref excuses? The Packers had about 6 bad calls against them. The Vikings had 1.

Defensively I keep hearing the Packer haters say they have a horrid defense. They just gave up 14 points without their two best linebackers, their best run stuffing defensive end, there best playmaker in the secondary, and the other starting CB. Outside of two big AP runs (one which was an obvious hold on the edge) the Packers contained the Vikings offense all game. WITHOUT THEIR THREE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYERS!

thepvyharvin says:Dec 2, 2012 5:50 PM

Get something straight Packer fans. With even an average QB,we beat you today. Don’t even gloat, your team is FAR from championship material. Giants game was your championship reality,,,

The Prophet says:Dec 2, 2012 6:01 PM

to all the Packer fans celebrating the Seahawks win over the Bears. The season doesn’t end for another 4 games. They have a much easier schedule than you do, and if the Bears take the NFC North, then you are hoping for that wild card and … uh-oh … the Seahawks just moved one step closer to OWNING that #5 playoff spot and then you’re competing with tons of teams for the #6.

keeley2 says:Dec 2, 2012 6:03 PM

Packers find a way to get it done with the following starters out: Shields, Matthews, Wilson, Woodson, Driver (not to mention the growing list of players on IR). Smells like 2010 to me !

Only viking fans could look at a 9 point loss and see it as a double digit possible, win, maybe.

You lost, plain and simple and despite all of your early season smack talk, you’re in a death struggle with Detriot for last place. Just like almost every Packer and Bear fan has said on this site all year long. Deal With It!!!

Thank heaven for Christian Ponder.

pack13queens0 says:Dec 2, 2012 6:19 PM

What is it with Queens fans whining about the Roughing the Passer call. You don’t hit the quarterback after he throws the ball. It’s that simple. It seemed like the officials were actually trying to help Minnesota but they’re so bad it didn’t help.

And Vikings fans, please stop talking about the refs helping out the Packers. I’ll admit, that roughing the passer call was bogus, but the refs missed PI on the free play to Jordy Nelson on the opening drive. They missed a facemask call with Randall Cobb. A phantom holding call nullified a second TD pass to James Jones. There was another lame holding penalty that erased a nice run. There were at least a couple more calls that benefited the Vikings, that I’m trying to remember now.

Pvyharvin is champion of the shoulda coulda woulda fantasy football league, go join Skip Bayless where you two can dream up alternate scenarios and then present them as if they are fact. The fact is, you don’t have an average QB because your front office drafted a bad one, that’s how the NFL works, draft poorly expect poor results. Stop acting like Packer fans should be apologizing for a win because you guys can’t draft.

The prophet is mistaken. The Bears remaining schedule is at Minnesota, home vs Green Bay, at Arizona and at Detroit. Green Bay is home vs Detroit, at Chicago, home vs Tennessee and at Minnesota. Those schedules are virtually identical except for different games against Tennessee and Arizona, in which case neither team is a difficult opponent. How is one schedule much easier than the other? Think before you write. The fact of the matter is that the December 16 meeting at Soldier Field looms large as far as how the NFC North is decided.

barroomhero80 says:Dec 2, 2012 6:42 PM

Won’t last long Sharon.

packforever52 says:Dec 2, 2012 6:46 PM

Maybe you whining Queens fans should take a ride to Kiln and see what mr. favre is up to these days. pervy called him the best viking ever-maybe he can help you forget Ponder!

shlort says:Dec 2, 2012 6:46 PM

Vinkings fans… Thanks for the laughs.

AP goes for 210, and the Vikings shoulda won? lol. Sure, teams with rushers at 200 or more win like 99% of the time, but those teams have a QB that can play and an OC that can call a decent game. If anything, the 200 AP rolled up cost the Vikings the game. Minnesota insisted on running AP far too much. Gotta be able to throw if they want to win in the NFL.

As arrogant as Vikings fans are, I am not one bit surprised at their reaction. Vikings got beat.. End of story. They didnt play well enough to win. Nice excuses though. Have never seen those before (sarcasm).

pack13queens0 says:Dec 2, 2012 6:49 PM

Vikings best player is someone who should be in jail. I know I would be if I assaulted a Police Officer, resisted arrest & committed Perjury in the Court of Law.

Great argument, guys. “If only we had a better player at the game’s most important position, we woulda beat you by double digits!” Yeah, I’m convinced. I counter your imaginary quarterback with an imaginary running back. Boom, we got ya by a touchdown again. Your move. I’d go for the imaginary reciever if I were you…

AP=Best player in league; Defense = Good enough to win; Ponder= Terrible and 100% of the reason why Vikes lost. Yes, Vikes wide receivers are terrible, but at times are open and Ponder still can’t hit them.

And what reason is that? That they did not put up startling stats in college? Sorry but undrafted players are no different then players actually drafted. They are start off as rookies completely new to the NFL. No one can predict how they will turn out. Your assumption was completely unfair and false considering some of the best players in the league went undrafted i.e. Arian Foster, Antonio Gates etc

Carl Gerbschmidt says:Dec 2, 2012 7:52 PM

@prvyhrvin — Ah, but you don’t have Ann average QB, do you? Maybe you can draft one next year, but I doubt it.

pack13queens0 says:
Dec 2, 2012 6:49 PM
Vikings best player is someone who should be in jail. I know I would be if I assaulted a Police Officer, resisted arrest & committed Perjury in the Court of Law.

———————-

I hope you realize that even the rest of the Pack fan-base thinks you’re a ridiculous joke. The ones that appreciate good football, you know, not you, see AP for the talent he is.

Get something straight Packer fans. With even an average QB,we beat you today. Don’t even gloat, your team is FAR from championship material. Giants game was your championship reality,,,
_____________________

How delusional are you?

The Vikings didn’t win squat.

By the time they realize that Ponder isn’t the QB thats going to take them to the to the Superbowl and make a change. AP will be on his last way out of the NFL.

So enjoy watching the beast RB for the rest of the season, and I’ll enjoy watching GB int he playoffs.

thepvyharvin: You are so right!! I agree with everything you say! Viks should’ve benched Ponder at half and went with Webb. The viks coaches are inept and eventually if things aren’t working you need to change!! Viks should be looking for a new QB!

peavey2 says:Dec 2, 2012 8:10 PM

No excuses. The Vikings got beat because of vastly inferior QB play. That’s not offered as an excuse – That’s a reason.

Face the facts, Packer fans. Your team hasn’t played well for at least 3 weeks. Two of the teams you faced (Lions and Vikings) beat themselves, and the Giants blew you out of the water.

One and done if you make it to the playoffs.

Ponder blew it for the Vikings today. Vikings had several opportunities to blow the game open, but Ponder squandered them with INTs and missing wide-open receivers.

pack13queens0 says:Dec 2, 2012 8:16 PM

7ransponder says: Dec 2, 2012 7:54 PM
I hope you realize that even the rest of the Pack fan-base thinks you’re a ridiculous joke. The ones that appreciate good football, you know, not you, see AP for the talent he is.
______________________________________
So you’re basically telling me that you’re excusing his poor behavior. You’re telling me it’s okay to be a criminal. Sad.

Bethel-Thompson at QB.
The kid has talent but terrible decision making from what i’ve seen. But since ponder doesn’t seem to have anything eith at the moment it wouldn’t matter.
Webb at WR.
See what he can do, he is too athletic to hold a clipboard.

It’s been over 3 years since the Vikings last beat the Packers, and I think the losing is starting to wear thin on some of their fans.

3 years!

truthserum4u says:Dec 2, 2012 8:49 PM

So, according to a bunch of Packer fans, there were a lot of bad calls that went against the Packers, thus negating the calls that went their way. I didn’t see the game, but I’ll take your word for it and believe you.

Of course this now means you can come to the realization that the Packers got a ton of calls in their favor in the Seattle game (most noticably being allowed to hold on every second or third passing play in the second half) and that things evened out in the end of that game too. In fact, if they don’t get the benefit of some calls (like the defensive PI against Seattle) the Packers never take the lead at the end of the game in the first place. Now we can all just chalk that one up as a loss and not refer to it as a stolen win.

As a side note: NFC playoffs should be interesting and brutal (for the teams involved). Likely Falcons, 49ers, Giants, Bears, Packers & Seahawks. Great match-ups up and down the board!

thepvyharvin says:Dec 2, 2012 8:52 PM

Packers are very average. Face your reality cheesers. You have MORE areas to address than the Vikings!!!!

this turned out to be kind of an ugly game between 2 very average teams at the moment with below average officiating (on both sides) mixed in.

Ponder blew all scoring chances for vikings cept 1. play calling once again very below average (if ap runs for 50 yds to the 8 give him the ball the next 3 plays so he is the one thats awarded the td), recievers continue to fail to get open on their own, D line cannot contain qb even though getting a good push

Rogers no longer looks invinceable but almost human but does know how to throw ball away (ponder LEARN), mccarthy kept with running game even though i thought pack could have killed us with pass. able to move ball with third string o-line.

everyone can blame ponder or officials for vikings loss but GOOD teams know how to capitalize on opponents mistakes. that said pack fans good game but i dont think u win the division or get far in the playoffs if u make it there. you won but are a far cry from what your team was 2 years ago

As long as the Vikings keep Ponder starting they will not be a threat to even sniff the playoffs, EVER. I’m a Packer fan but feel bad for Peterson. He sure would look great in green and gold. A.D. is a pure beast. Thank goodness for Ponder!

A) The Vikings, who lost to the Packers, who are down their Starting RB, two WRs, several linemen, and their three best defensive playmakers.

B) The Vikings fans, who are so desperate for the Packers to be “not good” that their only arguments are “they won’t do well in the playoffs” and “if the Vikings were better, they would have won!”

The Packers are 8-4 (really 9-3), and you really think that the Giants game was a better representation of them than any of their 8 wins? Hilarious, sad, pick your adjective, as long as it isn’t “accurate.”

Here are facts: The Packers are going to make the playoffs. The Vikings are not going to make the playoffs.

Here are probables: The Packers will win the division and have the 2nd best record in the NFC.

You can cry all you want, but it doesn’t change the outcome, little girls.

thelaviking says:Dec 3, 2012 12:42 AM

Die hard Vikings fan here, but extremely frustrated wth Ponder and the offensive play calling. We need an OC who understands how to manipulate defenses and maximize AP’s abilities. What a shame. Aside from AP, the only consistent aspect of our offense is it’s predictability and lethargic creativity.

Does it make you feel good saying the packers aren’t championship material? Is that what you hang your hat on? While i don’t think anyone ever said we were championship material, it’s nice standards to have.

jimmysee says:Dec 3, 2012 6:33 AM

thepvyharvin says:
Dec 2, 2012 5:50 PM

Get something straight Packer fans. With even an average QB,we beat you today. Don’t even gloat, your team is FAR from championship material. Giants game was your championship reality,,,

no jealousy here, just typing like i see it. just saying pack fans think they r gods gift to football world and r dilusional if they think another super bowl trophy will grace your case next year (but kudos you do have a few already)

both vikings coordinators suck right now….3 games in a row where de-line plays against band aid o-line opponent with little pressure and opposing qb’s running free out of pocket all day & cant desguise a decent scheme if their life depended on it

musgrave looks like a pee wee football coach ..average, uninspired, & weak. currently without AP our offense is nothing.

speilman needs to take some blame as well…not a single free agent signining has added anything to this roster this season

Kudos to mccarthy & co as year in and year out their backups & backups backups continue to produce and get the job done to keep the train rolling. a sign of excellent coaching. and you may start to have a running game.

good luck with you and chicago as division title contenders, but do not believe super bowl contenders will come out of this division

@thepvyharvin Quick question. When was the last time the Packers lost a division game(including playoffs)? Bonus points if you know when the last time the Vikings beat the Packers. I’ll give you a hint, it’s been a while.

stellarperformance says:Dec 3, 2012 10:19 AM

vikefan says:
Dec 3, 2012 9:50 AM
no jealousy here, just typing like i see it. just saying pack fans think they r gods gift to football world and r dilusional if they think another super bowl trophy will grace your case next year (but kudos you do have a few already)

==================================

“On any given day” a Division Leader (Green Bay,) that has “been there before,” has as good a chance of winning it all as any of the others. New York kicked our butts and we kicked the Texans butts….as in; “on any given day.” One debacle does not a season make. See you in New Orleans.

stellarperformance says:Dec 3, 2012 10:24 AM

thepvyharvin says:
Dec 3, 2012 8:52 AM
Oh how I wish the Vikings would have taken Russ Wilson in the draft. I wanted him. Wanted your college boy to beat the Packers twice a year. How’s that for would of,could of’should of!!

===============================

You may as well speculate that Tom Brady wants to join the Vikings because he thinks they represent the best chance he has of winning a SuperBowl again, and orchestrates his own departure from the Patriots under the guise of retiring. That would really stick it to us.

dukemarc says:Dec 3, 2012 11:28 AM

The Prophet says:
Dec 2, 2012 5:13 PM
Once again regular refs favor the Pack with that BS roughing the passer call that nullified that INT.
———————

You mean the correct call when the DE hit Rodgers with the crown of his helmet? That’s Roughing the QB 101 – you not going to get away with that very often, and especially not when you do it to one of the top QBs in the game.

@pvyharvin – man, get off our side, you’re not helping. this Viking team is so incompetent – we should not be doing any trash talking until we get our house in order. Ponder and Frazier (and Spielman and Musberger) have to go. We finally get an owner who will spend some money, and he spends it on garbage. Ridiculous.

thetokyosandblaster says:Dec 3, 2012 6:01 PM

Lots of little baby excuses.

Packers > Vikings.

Scoreboard.

larryboodry says:Dec 3, 2012 6:36 PM

ducksk says: Dec 2, 2012 6:27 PM

“The pack is back, oops they can’t be, they never left. Chitown and the queens fold like they always do!”

Despite the myriad injuries, poor pass protection(the hut-hut scramble for Aaron Rodgers) a maligned defence that lets AP break tackles and run for over 200 yards…GB still gets the job done. Yes, the Vikings helped out by playing like crap, but they were only down one starter, Mr. Percy Harvin. If it was to be a fair game than they would have to take Adrian Peterson out as well to make up for a missing Clay Mathews and Charles Woodson and Sam Shields and Brian Bulaga and…you get my point. Vikings fans that are peeing and moaning should take that into consideration. They got beat by a bunch of rookies and players who have otherwise spent the majority of their time keeping the bench warm for pro bowlers. And what the H, they’ll get another shot at them with home field advantage in week seventeen. Oh, and Christian Ponder will unlikely ever be half the quarterback that Aaron Rodgers is…just ain’t gonna happen.

The Packers really are the definition of the walking wounded. Look at the starting defense, they’ve lost their best three players: Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, and Desmond Bishop. They’ve also lost Nick Perry and DJ Smith for the year and Sam Shields for multiple game, three of their. best young players. That defense is just in shambles. Does anyone really think Dezman Moses, Brad Jones, Erik Walden, MD Jennings, and CJ Wilson are starting caliber players? You wonder why this defense it getting torched…

As for the Vikes, I feel for them. You should never reach for a QB in the first round. Ponder was not clearly better than Andy Dalton, Kaepernick, and Ryan Mallett, and TJ Yates who were all drafted much later. Would love to see Peterson play for a contender. He’s the best running back of the last decade and its not even close (sorry LaDanian). As far as those Packer homers citing his arrest, it was clear from the get go that those charges were bogus. We all know how some cops are bullies, and that’s exactly what the cop was doing. A little bit of power goes straight to the head for some people.

matckeeper says:Dec 4, 2012 10:41 PM

Gotta get healthy and find a way to stay healthy.
I worry about the O-line a lot and the youth of the D in general.
I’m guessing they finish on top of the division and play in the division round in a solid rematch of Pack vs. Seahawks

contraisloosebuthole says:Dec 5, 2012 9:05 PM

macdaddyspeed says: Dec 2, 2012 5:22 PM

Let’s say Green Bay actually won that Seattle game; can you, or anyone, guarantee that EVERY game since would have played out in EXACTLY the same fashion? If you can, you have a good argument. Since you can’t, your argument is pure speculation and shall be stricken from the records. Who knows, if Seattle lost that game, maybe they get pissed and go on a 10 game winning streak. Maybe the packers are not as focused and lose a few.
________________
They did win that game.